mtvU and Boston University Team With MSN to Premiere Entirely Student-Created Sitcom And Reality Series

mtvU and Boston University Team With MSN to Premiere Entirely Student-Created Sitcom And Reality Series

Comedy Pilot Written, Cast and Produced by Boston University Students to be Unveiled Tonight at Gala Hollywood Event

'Breaking the Sitcom' Airing Now and 'Roller Palace' to Debut March 20th on mtvU and mtvU Uber at mtvU.com

LOS ANGELES, March 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, in collaboration with MSN and Boston University (BU), will tonight unveil "Roller Palace," a comedy pilot entirely created and produced by students of BU's acclaimed Film and Television Department and the School of Theatre Arts at the College of Fine Arts. The pilot is the culmination of a unique and groundbreaking union between mtvU, MSN and BU, and its premiere this evening at Arclight Cinemas in Los Angeles marks the completion of a nearly 15 month journey.

In January 2005, students in BU's "Advanced Television Writing" course began pitching ideas and scripts to Professor Paul Schneider, a television director of shows such as "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Jag." At the end of the semester, the best sitcom ideas were presented to celebrity judges including Ted Harbert (President and CEO of E! Networks), Cheryl Dolans (Head of Comedy Development at NBC), and Gary Newman (President of Twentieth Century Fox Television). When "Roller Palace" was selected as the consensus choice, the show's creators set off to develop, write, cast, produce and star in the original sitcom pilot.

In partnership with mtvU, BU Sophomore and mtvU development deal recipient Andrew Karlsruher also covered the entire process from conception to post production for the mtvU reality series, "Breaking the Sitcom." Episodes of the series are airing now on mtvU and mtvU Uber, at mtvU.com; the pilot will debut on-air and online March 20th.

"Roller Palace" is about a pampered Manhattan debutante whose father has just been jailed for insider trading and whose mother is planning to marry her high school sweetheart -- a New Jersey hot dog stand proprietor. The turn of events flips the spoiled daughter's life upside down, leaving her stuck as a roller skating waitress on the Jersey Shore.

Production of the pilot was made possible by MSN, which also lent back-end tech support throughout the production process. BU students used MSN technology, including MSN Messenger, while casting, developing, shooting and editing the pilot, and organically integrated the MSN brand into the final project.

Professor Paul Schneider commented, "The student crew on 'Roller Palace' had a priceless opportunity to create a television pilot from scratch -- a demanding project that had all the challenges, complications and crises they will encounter in the professional world."

Continued Charles Merzbacher, Chairman, Department of Film and Television, "'Roller Palace' is a perfect example of the kind of collaboration between industry and academia that has been common in the sciences, and is now taking off in the arts."

"The students that created 'Roller Palace' and 'Breaking the Sitcom' are amazing examples of the talent on college campuses nationwide," said Ross Martin, head of programming for mtvU. "Our union with Boston University and MSN has enabled us to help incubate the talent in Professor Schneider's class, and we're thrilled to bring their vision to life on mtvU and mtvU Uber."

"We're committed to helping college students and young people realize their dreams, and it's been a pleasure working with mtvU and BU to facilitate this innovative educational opportunity," said Kathy Fiander, branded content group manager at MSN. "We congratulate the BU students on their achievement and also feel they did a great job of capturing how MSN Messenger can help users stay connected to those that matter most."

The premiere of "Roller Palace" will be presented as part of the Boston University College of Communication's annual Redstone West Student Film Screening. The event showcases the best short films by undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Communication's Department of Film and Television. The films are initially selected by faculty and then judged by a panel of industry professionals on both coasts. The Redstone Film Festival is held each February in Boston, and is followed by Redstone West in Los Angeles each March.

About mtvU

Broadcasting to more than 730 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of over 6.8 million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are, through a three pronged approach -- on-air, online and on campus. mtvU focuses on content including music programming, news, student life features, events, pro-social initiatives and more. For more information about mtvU, and for a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvU.com.

mtvU Uber makes mtvU the first MTV Networks channel distributed in its entirety via broadband, streaming 24/7 and on demand, featuring all of mtvU plus exclusive new music, original shows and student-produced programming for college students and music fans everywhere.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 100 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 95 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

About Boston University's College of Communication

Boston University's College of Communication, with an enrollment of nearly 2,500 graduate and undergraduate students and an alumni base of more than 23,000, specializes in journalism, film and television, mass communication, advertising and public relations. The Television Program has concentrations in production, screenwriting and management, and offers students real-world experience through several university and student-run media outlets including butv10, WTBU radio, Neighborhood Network News, and workshops such as Television Production Hothouse. Boston University, with an enrollment of 30,000 in its 17 schools and colleges, is the fourth-largest independent university in the United States.

NOTE: The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Source: MTV Networks

CONTACT: Jason Rzepka of mtvU, +1-212-654-9198, or
jason.rzepka@mtvstaff, or David French of MTV/MTV2/mtvU, +1-310-752-8110, or
david.french@mtvstaff.com

Web site: http://www.mtvu.com/

-------
Profile: intent